We, the Horizon staff, deeply want to thank our custodians for their diligence and hard work. 

So, thank you for being fearless. 

Thank you for your dedication.

Thank you for being a role model. For getting our school ready for visitors, for putting in the late hours, for always saying hello, for always being willing to lend a helping hand, and most importantly for caring for us, students.

We cannot do any of this without you.

Our six custodians are the powerhouse employees who keep Skyline High School running. More often than not, however, the appreciation gets clouded with a more muffled voice of toleration.

From keeping maintenance on the locker rooms, floors, deck, and pool, it becomes abundantly clear fast that the staff does much more than household chores. ” I need to make sure that the PH levels in the pool are safe so that the students are,” says Stephanie Harrill, a custodial staff member who has been part of Skyline for 10 years. When it’s school break, she and the rest of the staff take the time to remove posters, desks, and other decor from the over eighty classrooms at the Nest. “We average around six or seven rooms a day. It’s a process for sure,” says Harill. “Skyline runs the air conditioning and boilers at the same time…that’s just how it was built. We need to make sure they are running smoothly. Especially during months when the school can become very cold or hot.”

One misconception students have is where the staff spends most of their day. The randomized survey suggested that many think their time is spent in the B-Building, where most classes take place. Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

 “During the day, the custodians are just in the Athletic Building,” says Stephanie Harrill. “We do not touch the classes at all,  so we don’t clean there because classes are in session.” This may seem obvious when thought through, but students don’t think about it.

“After Basketball games, the cleaning is done around 5:30 [A.M] the next day because the night custodians focus on the A-building,” Harrill states. “Skyline is a school that never shuts down. You have people here at 11:00 and 11:30 [at night] doing what they got to.” This “always-up” spirit at the Nest is special and cannot be said for many other schools in the state. 

“People sometimes always look at us and wonder why things don’t get done during the day.” The Skyline staff has three custodians working the day shift, so days can become quite hectic considerably quickly.  With the construction of the new Skyline, many of the old routines have been changed abruptly. “The aux gym is now part of the gym itself. We got different people cleaning different areas. Our routes have been changed. We have to work in different areas…it’s been quite the shift,” she says.

With all this, there are many Eagles, parents, and faculty that have helped brighten sometimes the hard parts of being part of the custodial staff. “We have people in the community pick up the trash around the building…we  are always saying, ‘You don’t have to..but they always say how this is their community too and are just helping out,” she continues, “When we are shoveling the snow, often 3:30 in the morning, parents would bring us hot cocoa.”  Harrill wanted to also thank Geoff Murdock, one of the assistant principals at Skyline, “We couldn’t get all the things done during our regular shift, so we talked to Jeff about it and he talked with the district and now we have over time, which has helped,” she noted.

With Stephanie Harrill being here for quite a while, there are many friendships that have been formed for those ten years. “We are all one staff…just have different jobs.”  

Skyline High School is part of our community and should be taken care of by those who attend and those who may have a designated job. 

We, Eagles should do our part by not just cleaning up after ourselves but just RISE-ing even when it isn’t ours. No matter what.